Spire Cardiff Hospital at front of hip op technology

A pioneering hip operation which can increase patient recovery speed has resulted in a Cardiff hospital receiving a top national award.

Spire Cardiff Hospital in Croescadarn Road, Pentwyn, was presented with the Medical Practice Award for their use of the direct anterior approach hip replacement procedure at the annual LangBuisson Awards held in London.

The operation, which has been championed in Cardiff by orthopaedic surgeon Mr Marci Maheson, means less damage is caused to soft tissue, muscles or nerves surrounding the hip, which can be reduced by more than half the patient’s stay in hospital when compared with a traditional replacement operation.

It also means recovery time and the need for physiotherapy is also reduced in a majority of cases.

Mr. Maheson explained: “In a ‘traditional’ operation the surgeon goes in through the buttock, meaning they have to cut through major muscles and soft tissue.

“The direct anterior approach means a much smaller incision through the front of the pelvis. I then use a natural gap between two muscles at the front of the thigh to replace the hip joint.

“Interestingly, when hip replacements began in the 1940s, surgeons used the anterior approach. However, over time, this technique was replaced by accessing from the side or the back. It is only the development of new technology, along with the introduction of smaller implants,that has allowed us to revert to the front entry.”

The award was presented to hospital director Sarah Lloyd-Davies by Rob Anderson, operations director, Spire Healthcare and television presenter and former politician Michael Portillo.

Afterwards Mrs Lloyd-Davies said: “This is a great honour for our hospital. The Lang Buisson Awards really are at the top of the tree when it comes to private healthcare and it is fantastic to receive one.

“Unfortunately Mr Maheson could not attend the ceremony with us but I would like to thank him for his skill and dedication as well as his tremendous commitment to Spire Cardiff Hospital which, in 2012, was declared an International Reference Centre for this type of surgery.”